In the race to represent Preston Hollow and other North Dallas neighborhoods on the City Council, candidate Jennifer Staubach Gates got the endorsement of the Dallas Police Association.

Her main opponent, Leland Burk, has worked to minimize that endorsement, in part by saying the officers snubbed him because he didn’t support their right to strike.

The problem: It wasn’t true. What made it worse: Police say they were insulted by it.

Burk has apologized for what his campaign says was an unfortunate mistake. But it was only one of several inaccurate statements that have tripped up a contender for a vigorously contested City Council seat.

Ron Pinkston, president of the police association, says it’s part of a pattern.

“He’s been misleading the voters for a while and basically out-and-out lying in some regard,” Pinkston said.

But the Burk campaign says the issues have been overblown.

“This is the proverbial mountain out of a molehill,” said his campaign strategist, Clayton Henry, in an email.

Burk said he misspoke about striking because he’d confused two conversations.

“I reached out to the DPA, apologized for apparently merging conversations which were not related and assured them that I support ‘meet and confer,’” Burk said in an email. Meet and confer is the process by which Dallas police and firefighters negotiate pay and benefits with city administrators.

“My track record of involvement in public safety is significant, beginning nearly 25 years ago involving the Greater Dallas Crime Commission, the 100 Club, Safer Dallas/Better Dallas and the North Texas Crime Commission, which is why longtime civic leaders like Charles Terrell have endorsed me.”

It’s not legal for police to strike, and Pinkston says officers have never floated the idea.

“Dallas police would never jeopardize the safety of our citizens for striking,” Pinkston said. “It’s a total slap in the face to all Dallas officers.”

Another error related to the police endorsement has also become an issue for Burk’s campaign.

He recently said that neither the current District 13 council member, Ann Margolin, nor her predecessor, Mitchell Rasansky, had endorsements from the police association, the fire association or the Real Estate Council. This was important, he said, because it showed the district’s voters want an independent voice, not someone beholden to such groups.

Staubach Gates challenged him. “Ann did the first time she ran,” Staubach Gates said.

Burk stood his ground. “No, she had it the second time,” he said. His point was the groups had not supported Margolin when the seat was hotly contested but did later when she was an incumbent.

That also turned out to be inaccurate. The first time she ran, Margolin had all three endorsements. The second time around, she lost the police and fire endorsements.

Burk’s campaign said it was a mix-up.

“Leland was at a speaking engagement and remembered that the DPA had not endorsed Ann for her first run, when it was her second campaign,” Henry’s email said.

Burk also made two errors on his candidate questionnaire for The Dallas Morning News. The questionnaires are posted online so that voters can easily compare candidates.

“In 1997, I was a founding director and principal shareholder of First Independent National Bank, headquartered in Dallas with a branch in District 13,” Burk said in the questionnaire.

In fact, the bank was headquartered in Plano.

“Leland’s bank held board meetings in Dallas, and they regarded themselves as a ‘Dallas’ financial institution,” Burk’s campaign said in an emailed explanation.

In another part of the questionnaire, Burk said, “I have never been arrested or been a party to a lawsuit (civil or criminal).”

A quick online check of Dallas County District Court records shows about a half-dozen suits spanning back to 1989.

“I responded to the words ‘arrested’ and ‘criminal’ in the question, ‘Have you been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?’” Burk said in explanation. “The answer was ‘no’ and I interpreted the latter part of the question to mean lawsuits that result in court proceedings or trials.”

None of the suits appear to raise difficult questions for Burk, but his lack of disclosure might.

In a race involving lots of money for advertising and, perhaps, little margin for error, any misstatement or omission leaves his opponent an opening.

“There seems to be a clear pattern of misrepresenting the truth and leaving out important details, and it’s really concerning,” Staubach Gates said. “Our voters deserve leaders they can trust, and if I am fortunate enough to be elected, I will work hard each day to earn the trust and respect of those I am there to serve.”